Customer Feedback

Here is some customer feedback of lapidary service work performed by Gems By John

Just wanted you to know I got the ring back today and it looks beautiful!!! Thank you so much for the work. Best regards, John G. Good morning John, Just got home from my trip and got the gems - they are lovely! Thank you so much for cutting these for me. I'm excited to go and have them set into some pieces this weekend. Thanks again for everything, you are wonderful. Brande O.

Got the stone yesterday, thank you again for a beautiful job, I'm sure my wife will be overjoyed! Bill D.

Faceting Lesson: Thank you for being an excellent teacher. I know teachers like you are not easy to find. I appreciate your time, your patience, your ability to make faceting an interesting subject, I really enjoyed the faceting class. I feel so lucky to have gotten you as a teacher. I admire your hospitality, honesty and friendly welcoming of students. I learned a lot from you during my recent trip. Thank you very much for everything. Fuad A.

Many thanks and deep appreciation. You have gone above and beyond in customer service. Anne M.

bloodstone inlay ring

Bloodstones: HI John; I just got the ring and as usual it is beautiful and your cost is too low!!!! Your Craftsmanship is fantastic. Take care and my best to you and yours. John G.

Spessartine Garnet: Hi John, Received your package. Amazing return on the Spessartine. About 35%, Now I'm going to expect that every time. [just kidding} As always, I'll let you decide. Facet or cab. Thanks again for the great work. Bob B.

Hi John, Thank you very much for the speedy service, you have saved us a world of grief. Thank You Ryan E.

Smoky Quartz: Good evening John, I wanted to let you know that I received my package today in the mail. The smoky quartz is ABSOLUTELY beautiful! You did a phenomenal job. Thank you so much for transforming my rock into beautiful gemstones. I do plan to send my moonstone rock to you soon. I'm looking forward to seeing how well that one turns out too. Have a blessed evening, Elyse B.

opal & diamond gold pendant dangle

Ethiopian Opal: The parcel arrived yesterday. Really appreciate your excellent craftsmanship. All the pieces look great! I also appreciate the extra detail and time and trouble on the opal pendant. She will be really pleased. The little boxes for the multicolored pendants and the Tiffany Robin's egg blue box were nice touches. My wife particularly enjoyed the "Tiffany" box. The feldspar really came out nice. The certificate of authenticity is a professional asset. You may see the stone send back to be mounted up in a pendant, after Christmas! Which by the by The B. Family wishes the Wright family a joyous Christmas and A Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Best wishes, Greg B.

John, just got the stone back and it is beautiful! Thank you for the excellent work, as always! Jeff V.

Hi John, I got some more rocks off to you today via priority mail. I put a couple rocks in a separate bag that I wasn't sure were cab or facet material. I'll let you make the call and whatever you choose will be great with me. With any luck you'll have it Monday.

I gave your contact info to a faceter friend of mine in Ohio, David D. He has some African sapphire material that he may be interested in getting cabbed. We have another project and I'll be eager to hear and see the results. Thank you again for your high quality work and speedy service. We have a lot more rocks, here and in Ohio. Best, Bob B.

Sapphire: Received the sapphire yesterday and was quite satisfied with the results. Thank you for being as quick as you said. Lonnie M.

Tsavorite Garnet: Hi John, Thank for the excellent job on the Tsavorite! Best regards, Chris L.

handmade 14K gold keltic bracelet

Gold Bracelet: Hello John, The bracelet arrived in the mail today and it is absolutely stunning!! Your superb craftsmanship and artistry are evident and I would like to thank you for making the whole process so pleasant. Your communication has been excellent throughout and I am sure this lovely and unique piece of jewelry will be cherished forever by the lucky recipient. Feel free to add me to your list of references; I will make sure to highly recommend your services and hope to work with you again in the future. Warm regards, Andrea H.

I recently displayed the gems you cut for me and the women are going nuts for them. Do you mind if I mention your website for gem cutting services? I don't want you to be overwhelmed with requests if you don't want them 🙂 Weddingbee Videos Lucy

Hi John, I want you to know I am very happy with the cabochon you made for me. It means allot and it looks amazing. It's Hard to believe you made something look so nice out of some rocks I found on my claim. I apologize for the 2 that didn't make it, I could tell you were very close to finishing and that must have been very frustrating. Again thank you Drew D.

John, Thank you for your time. This is brilliant, exactly what I was looking for. I knew the stones you'd be able to cut were small, so your response is what I expected. Do your best to maximize the yield please. Thank you again for the break down John, Faith F.

Thanks again. I went to post office and picked up package. Very pleased with stone. Can’t believe that came from the rough stone my girlfriend and I mined years ago. Can’t wait to see how it will look on the ring. Joe W.

faceted copper schiller oregon sunstone

Sunstone: Good morning John, I think it's been about a year since I sent you some rough, I have been busy with retirement. I'm sending you a package with 5 small stones today. Please evaluate and keep the color of gem stone the priority. The size and shape are less important. I trust your judgment. I have included the disclaimer form with the package. If you need any more information please call. Thanks and have a great day, Bruce S.

Hi John, We received a couple days ago. Thank you. They are beautiful. Do you set stones in rings? Carmela L.

John, the stones look awesome. Thanks, Jeff V.

Hi not sure if you would remember or not but I was the person that sent you stone for from the beach to cut? I got 3, one broke at the jeweler as he was putting it in a setting, so he didn't charge me. Anyway the stones look so fabulous I want to replace the broken one. Do you remember if there were any more rocks that could be cut into a .75 carat? I still have the stones I originally sent you. Thanks you so much. Heidi M.

Wow, those are incredible. Thanks! Alan S.

Good Morning John! I received the ring and it's perfect! You brought it back to life. The stones are beautiful, my Mom is going to love it. Thanks so much for your hard work and time. Happy Holidays to you! Darah O.

HI John, I received the Opals in the mail today. Thank you so much, they are really beautiful! Thanks! Llana C.

HI John, The ring came and it’s beautiful!! Thank you so very much. But I still don’t understand how you can do such wonderful work so cheaply? Again, thank you John and be well. Best regards, John G.

John, Thank you again for a job well done. Dixie L.

John, My hobby mining friend, Peter H., and I went to the Double Eagle mine this past week=end and showed the mine owner, John, the beautiful stones you had cut. He is very interested in showing the large dichroic stone on his website www.doubleeaglemine.com. He would like to discuss with you if he could mention you as the cutter of the stone. I am sending you this email as a way of getting the two of you together regarding this matter. Larry K.

Thank you very much John! The stones look great! It'll be hard to choose one for the setting. On a 4.5 sized halo ring I think your 1.0 or 1.04 ct. cuts will be the nicest but the round and larger cushion are very nice as well! Thank you again for doing this so quickly and so well. Thank you again, this has meant a lot to me (and Irene although she doesn't know it yet 🙂 Frank H.

John, The stones look awesome. Thanks, Jeff V.

Moissanite: WOW! Thanks, Moissanite Ring, I just received the ring back! It looks amazing and beautiful again!!! Thank you so much for working on it for me and being able to fix the stone!!! Melissa S.

Hi John, The stones arrived yesterday. I am very happy with the way they look. My son likes the stone for his wife's ring and the cabochons will make very beautiful pendants! My wife suggested that maybe sometime in the future we should take a vacation to Kentucky so that I could take one of your classes! Sounds like good fun to me! Thanks again for your fine work! Peter K.

Hello John... We received the rings, thank you. They are really very lovely. All the best, Stuart P.

Hi John, Just wanted to let you know the stones arrived a few days back and they are perfect! Thanks so much and have a great day--I will definitely use your services for any future stones I need cutting, and am sending your info on to my jeweler friend. Eve M.

Thanks John. Received the pieces on my birthday which was nice. You did a great job. I do love the ruby and the pendent. Kay C.

Spinel: You may have been right on the spinel being garnet, I just found 2 pink rhodolite garnets in my spinels. The standard magnet is a 1/2" x 1/2" cylinder neodymium/rare earth magnet, or a giant stack of smaller ones, haha. You will have to float most other stones to see the magnetic response, some indicolite will drag though. It’s a great way to separate faceted aquamarine from topaz. Pretty cool you found some garnets mixed in with your sapphire. I will check the "sapphire" as all of the other ones from him tested right for natural sapphire. CZ is usually inert or really weak according to my handy dandy chart. Thanks again. Eric T.

John, I received the gems, they both look awesome, and the emerald looks much cleaner now. You did an excellent job. Regards, Sanjeev K.

Good Evening, I received the stones today and they are beautiful! Very excited!! I can't wait to set them. Thank you. Lisa D.

John, I'm incredibly satisfied with the amount of fire you were able to capture in the cut of this opal. I hope to do more business with you in the future. All the best, Cody D.

opal inlay ring

Dear John,

Hi, I'm your sister Laura's friend from San Diego, the one whose ring you repaired. I'm writing to thank you for the wonderful job you did!

I don't know if Laura told you, but the opal is my absolute favorite gemstone. I like opals more than diamonds, rubies or sapphires. In my opinion, nothing can compare with the exquisite opal, which glows with an internal fire. So when it came time for my wonderful husband and I to become engaged, I knew what kind of ring I wanted.

I knew that Mervyn's had quite a large selection of opal rings so I went over to the store and saw right away which one I wanted. It had four fiery inset opals in a gold band. I tried it on and it flashed on my finger. It was too big so I asked for a smaller size, but I was told that it was the only size the ring came in. This puzzled me since I knew that rings weren't one-size-fits-all, but I liked it so much I decided to get it anyway. The next day my finance and I went to buy it I figured that I would eventually find a way around the size problem.

First, I took my ring back to Mervyn's, hoping they could help me. The store sent my ring to its jeweler for resizing. Their jeweler promptly sent it back saying that he didn't want to attempt resizing it because of the way the opals were set in the band. They might pop out if the band was tampered with, he said. Next, I tried those clear plastic sizers that slipped around the band. They didn't work very well. Then, I tried one of those gold bands that wound around the inside of my ring. It was uncomfortable, but was the best I could do.

A few months later when my finance and I were formally engaged, I wore the ring continuously until one Sunday when we were in church. I glanced down at my finger and was shocked at what I saw. One of the opals was missing, leaving an empty black triangle where the stone once was. Needless to say, I put the ring away and didn't wear it again. This was in 2003.

I thought of one last option. Every summer I go to visit my family in Minnesota. In 20061 took my ring with me because I remembered a jewelry store there that did repairs. Unfortunately, the jeweler told me the same thing I heard at Mervyn's.

Then, your sister came to visit us in February of 2007 and told me about you. When she went home she took my ring with her. I talked to her later that year and she said that she hand-delivered it that summer when she and Terry went to visit you and your family. Finally, I had hope.

My ring arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago. As soon as I took it out of the box I put it on my finger. It gleamed and glowed once again, looking better than new. And after over four years, I can wear it proudly once again as a symbol of the love and commitment I share with my husband. I owe it all to you and to your dear sister, who made all of this possible! God has truly given you a gift, which I'm certain you are using for His glory! Thank you so very much!

God bless you, Carol

Apache Tear: Hi John, I received the ring yesterday and it is just beautiful; I can't thank you enough. I will present it to my wife on Valentine’s Day, we are going on a cruise. It will be very special to her as the Apache Tears were found south of area 51 near Las Vegas wear we were married (she is a rock hound). My guess is you created a very special one of a kind...who else facets an Apache Tear. You may certainly use me for a reference any time, God bless, Jon C.

faceted and rough fire opal

Fire Opal: Dear John, I received my fire opal yesterday. It is beautiful! Thanks so much it's been a fun project. I will be looking for more opals to send you. Best wishes. Patti H.

rose quartz gold ring

Engagement Ring: Thanks John, it must have been the ring! She loves it. Hi Everyone, I just want to let you all know that Kecia and I are getting married. We are both excited, and I feel very lucky. Much love, Joe-Joe M.

Platinum Ring: Thank you so much for repairing the ring – it is really beautiful. I will see Erin in June and give it to her then. Thanks again Lynne J.

Amethyst: Thanks John, Great Job, She and I LOVE IT !!! Your work is Great ! ! ! I will call upon you again for her sparkly needs …. Thanks, Tim

Zircon: Hi John, I'm so excited to see the ring yesterday and I'm loving it! It pretty, it turn out perfect for the color of the stone and to the yellow gold. You did a great job. I will show it to my sister. Thanks again John. Sam H.

zircon, tourmaline, peridot rings in palladium

Tourmaline, Peridot, & Zircon: Hi John. I wanted to send you one final note of thanks! I received the rings last week and have enjoyed wearing them tremendously! They are very beautiful and the workmanship was perfect. Thank you so much for working with me to develop something I'll cherish forever! Amy D

Sea Glass: Hi John, Yes, I received the rings today and they are beautiful. Thank you very much. I'm glad I found you via the internet. It has been a pleasure dealing with you. Best of luck in the future. Sincerely, Kevin B.

Sodalite: I received the rings and they turned out great! The boys are going to love them I'm sure. Thanks for all your help and cooperation. I will definitely recommend you to others! Thank you, Melissa H.

diamond gold pendant dangle

Dear John, Thank you so much for the beautiful pendant you made from the engagement ring that dad gave to mother! Boy, was that a wonderful surprise to receive! If I remember correctly, mother gave you that ring before you were even married. I have forgotten exactly what the ring looked like - do you have a photo of it? Mom must have been glad to get to see it before Laura brought it back to CA. I am planning on calling her later today. I also will look forward to talking to you about it how you decided to make a pendant with the diamond. I am deeply touched that you gave that special diamond to me - I will treasure it and wear it often. I Love you!! I really like the earring that you made for Laura too. I reminded Laura that those 2 little rubies she had sent to you were from Aunt Joyce and that made her happy to remember their origin. The lobster clasp you put on my bracelet is just perfect and I really appreciate your doing that! I will wear it more often now that there is a new clasp. Love to you and your family, Debbie A.

Gold: Thanks, it looks great, I wore it already and got many compliments. I will definitely recommend you to my friends! Maria G.

Tanzanite: John, I received the stone today. It looks beautiful! You did a great job. I got the stone from a lady on eBay who deals with Tanzania stones. Here is a link to her store. Thanks. Jeff T.

Sodalite: John, we received the stones you cut on Friday and they were beautiful! Keith is going to be in Lexington on Wednesday and wants to know if you can meet him again, so he can have you look at a few more rocks. I am going to send the Solidite scraps back with him because he said he may want a smaller stone for a ring for himself. Give me some ideas on the large piece, because we may want to make it into a pendant for my daughter. I would like to get the emerald set in a sterling silver setting. I found one on Stuller's website and if I give you the number can you check and see how much it is and how much it will be to set it? Thanks and good job! Debe H.

ruby in cast gold ring

Ruby: John, He was so happy with the gift. It looks fantastic on him and he wore it to Furlong's for our Anniversary dinner...Thanks so much for making it. It is a real treasure with the gold pieces that I put in the gold and the great setting. It is PERFECT! Hope you got a picture of it. Got some pretty stones this weekend. An Andesine (a creamy color) and a Green Beryl. Have to think what to do with them. I'll bring them by sometime soon to show you. I returned the rubies and kept the prehnite rough. Someday maybe I will be able to make the cabs from the rough. Thanks again SO much!! Connie F.

Got the stones. They look amazing, thank you so much! Mike O.

Hi John, Love the new cut on my sapphire. Thank you! Shana B.

Hi John, Received the stones back today and am very pleased with everything. Thank you very much. If Ok with you, I will put together a parcel of facet rough and some stones for that we would like to have re-cut? I appreciate the nice work, fair prices and fast service John and look forward to doing business with you. Regards, Michael P.

John, I just received my gemstones. They look great thank you. Bruce S.

Hi John, I received the stone, it looks great, thank you. Josue T.

Hi john, You did such fine work on my jewelry and the colors are so pretty! Thank you. Have a good day. Grace B

Tourmaline: I think it turned out really good. So many people ask me what it is and if it's expensive. The stone turned out really good with the slight touch of black inside, don't you think? I am considering a platinum ring. Would you be able to reset it and would you have a couple cathedral style rings it would look good with? The key is that I like the way you set it slightly low so it doesn't stick way out. Maybe you can send me a couple more examples of rings and matching band in platinum it would look good with. I really like the ring and the style it sits in now. Greg R.

rose quartz checkerboard cut cabochon style

Rose Quartz: Hi! The gems look great! Thank you! Cari S.

Black Onyx & Turquoise: Thanks John, My customer just came in to approve them and is happy! Thanks Again, Meridith W.

Smoky Quartz: Hi John, I have received the smoky quartz and it looks beautiful. Thank you. Tina F.

Garnet: John, Sorry it has taken me so long to contact you back. My wife loved the ring and we will not need to change anything about it. I also received the uncut stones. Thanks again for all the help and I look forward to doing more business in the future and recommending you to friends. Thanks. Patrick M.

Opal: Hi John, I got the opal, it looks great! Thanks. Susie V.

Amethyst: Hi John, I received the pendant on Saturday. It looks great! I know I will enjoy it and wear it often. Thank you! Nancy D.

Just FYI: I found you because I was disappointed in my current cutter. He is good with CLEAR stones, but when it came to rubies, sapphires and emeralds, it seemed like he just couldn't "get it". I know that MANY of the stones we are sending are JUNK, and you will have to dig through a bunch to find decent stones. He couldn't understand that I think. So, just wanted to give you the heads up, that we understand you have to kiss a lot toads before you find the "prince". Thanks, Steve

Hey John, finally wandered out to my mailbox for the first time in weeks, and discovered some beautiful earring/pendant stones...thank you! They look like great big diamonds. Hope you are well, Andrew F.

Theresa and I opened the box yesterday and were absolutely stunned. This is an AMAZING piece you have created. It's like something a medieval or Babylonian king would have. I have never seen anything like it - and you were the man to pull it off! The vibration is quite high and pure according to Theresa. I can just see it is not completely of this world. Many thanks my friend. Andrew F.

Obsidian: John, The ring came in today. It looks great! Thank you so much. Lisa B

Jasper: I got the gems in today. They're absolutely superb. You did a great job. Thank you very much. Joshua H.

Sapphire: Hello John, I received the stones last night. Beautiful job. I will be sending another set of stones. I haven't decided just yet what I want to send. I am wondering if that sapphire is a quality piece judging from what you thought. I would like to put it in one of better ring sets if so. Thank you, Brett B.

Idaho Garnets: Dear John, Thank you so much for the garnets, the faceted ones especially are better than I could have hoped given that we picked out the gems ourselves from the sluices! I am using one of the cabochons for a wire-wrapped pendant for my mom’s Masters Graduation present, she graduates next week in Scotland and because of your fast turnaround I will be able to present it to her in person on graduation day. My boyfriend wants to include one of the faceted garnets in an engagement ring, as he has been gathering them since he was a boy every summer in Idaho but these are the first ones he’s seen polished. ...Once again, I am truly grateful and will certainly keep you in mind for more gems in the future. Best wishes, Helen J.

Precious Opal: Hello! A couple of years ago, I sent you some rough to facet and I was very pleased with the results! If it is a good time for you, I would like to send you a few more pieces of rough to facet. Let me know if this OK for you. Thanks! Gerry A. G.G., San Diego, CA

Bloodstone: HELLO John, another wonderful job!! Excellent dispersal of spots. If you can find time, I will have another soon. I will leave the positioning of the stone to you, as you know far better than I what will look the best. Thank you again for a really professional job. John G.

Amethyst: Hey John, I received the amethyst and it looks great! Thank you very much. Jordan C.

John, Received the ring today and it is absolutely gorgeous. I could not be more pleased with the results. I'm sure my son is going to love it. Thank you so much for the quick turnaround. You are FANTASTIC. Have very Merry Christmas. Thanks again, Syble F.

lab opal inlay gold ring

Opal: Hello John, I have received the package. The opals are gorgeous. I am truly looking forward to working with them. You do excellent work. Thank you, Megan J.

Garnet: Beautiful. Amazing to believe that that's my rock. I have another stone (green) I'll send you a picture of. It's more flat and angular. I'm not sure anything can be done with it. James B.

Onyx inlay: Wow! That was quick! I'm excited to see how it turned out. I have been looking for a stone cutter/lapidary jeweler for a while, glad to finally find one. I have an individual (GG) that asked me the other day about a Lapidary Jeweler, I will pass on your information on Friday when I see him. His name is Matt. Thanks, Eloy

Spinel: John, Good afternoon, I have revived the parcel with stones. Thank you, finished stones look great. After, receiving second parcel, I write you an email. Thank you, Daulet O.

Again, Beautiful! Thanks again! Gerry

Hi John, I received the stone the mail today. It's gorgeous! Thank you! I will be contacting you soon for a setting for it. Thanks again, Stephanie G.

Sapphire: It's cool John. I will show the stone to the customer and if he wants we will cut the other side. I have always looked at an oval as a standard cut and a Free-form as a fancy. As we work together we will work it out. Nice work on the stone very happy!! He is on a long VK. I will let you now. Scott W.

faceted blue lab quartz diamond shape

Laser rod: Good morning John, I received the stones - thanks they look great. I'll be arranging for them to be set in the next few weeks and I'll get back to you again if it goes well. Regards and thanks again. Peter N.

Opal: I got the ring and it looks great. Thanks so much. Ellen F.

Citrine & Smokey Quartz: John, Got the stones. Wow, it’s beautiful. It will make a nice Christmas gift from the kids (they found it). ...Thanks again. Will send another sometime soon. Scott C.

Amethyst: Hi, I got the stone yesterday. Thanks for the fast turnaround. of the uncut stones remaining are there any that can be cut? Thanks Again Mike M.

Hey John, I took that blue oval to a jeweler who said he would mount it without hurting the top crack so I am going to just keep it. Both stones are very nice and I appreciate it. Once I get all the stones back I will pick out two sets and send them to ya' plus a couple of nice stones I got today and see what you think. Again thanks, my wife is love with that green emerald cut and can't wait for more. Richard S.

Emerald: Got'em they look great. 🙂 I was particularly impressed with what you did with the emerald. Will drop a check in the mail Monday. Thanks again, Paul H.

faceted sapphire pentagon cut in custom gold ring

Sapphire: Beautiful job, once again, thank you! The customer was practically in tears with the ring and the stones (In a good way). Austin M.